I'll Be With You
by Our Parting Glass
Summary: AU Kiddway. What would have happened if Edward had travelled to Tulum with Ah Tabai and Anne straight after the prison escape, with the supposed dead Mary Read? Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

"I'll be with you Kenway. I will," and with that, her eyes closed and her head dropped to the side, Edward stroked her shoulder, then reached to find a pulse in her neck. There was none. She was gone. He bowed his head, tears escaping those beautiful sea blue eyes of his, Mary understood him more than anyone, she listened to what he had to say, even if he was a pain in her arse sometimes; most of the time, she had listened. She had listened to his whinging on about the treasures he aspired to find and the money he wished to possess. And now, he mourned. He cried. His salty tears dripping and making their way down his face. He remained crouched next to her until he heard the guards,

"Fan out! Search every nook and cranny!", they were searching for him. He quickly scooped her up into his arms, one arm supporting her back, and one under her legs. He would give her a proper burial later, but for now, he had to get to Ah Tabai and Anne. He walked, supporting her, he exited through a nearby door down the end of the corridor. Just as he walked through the door, the guards spotted him, drawing their cutlasses. Carefully, he laid Mary down on the floor, and raised his fists, preparing for a fight. As the guards sped towards him, Edward immediately identified the weaker man, therefore disarming him with his bare hands, then killing him with his own sword, and then the rest of them, the anger and sadness he felt from Mary's sudden death making him more bloodthirsty. He then picked up Mary, cradling her like a newborn babe, he broke out into a jog, running until he got to the beach, hoping that he wouldn't get shot in the back. He spotted a large, wooden rowboat next to the sea, and on it, Anne was sitting on the wooden surface, her face showing the pain she was feeling as her contractions continued. Edward quickly lowered Mary into the boat, opposite Anne,

"Is she gone?" Ah Tabai questioned, his calm stare evaluating Edward. Edward nodded, bowing his head as a sign of a respect, and so that the Master Assassin wouldn't see the tears threatening to spill from his eyes,

"Oh no," Anne's voice portraying the sadness she felt to see her best friend dead in front of her, "oh God", she groaned loudly as another contraction took hold of her,

"What will you do now?" Ah Tabai said gently as he looked to Edward, seeing the pain of loss on his face, Edward paused, weighing his options, Mary's dying words rang in his ears. He knew what he needed to do,

"That, is up to you, Ah Tabai." Edward started, his face becoming unreadable, "will you allow me to join your Brotherhood?" The Master Assassin froze, he wasn't expecting that,

"Edward, we will sail back to Tulum and talk about this then, as Miss Anne and her child are our main priority as of now, you look after her, come," Ah Tabai strode alongside a surprised Edward to the boat, and they climbed aboard, Edward sitting beside Anne's feet, holding her hand, making sure he didn't glance towards the opposite side to the boat where Mary lay at Ah Tabai's feet.

As they arrived in Tulum, a tired Edward slept on the floor of the boat as Anne was helped by Ah Tabai to the doctor's hut, still in labour, and another young assassin was called to carry Mary there also, to see whether childbirth or an unknown disease had caused her death.

* * *

Adewale stood nearby, after asking Ah Tabai of Edward's whereabouts, he was rather surprised to find his ex-Captain had requested to join the Assassins. Adewale soon headed off to the beach where the boat was docked. Edward looked worse than Adewale had ever seen him before. Rough looking, he was in the rags he'd been wearing for the past however many months it had been, the clothes had spatters of dried blood dotted on them, his own or someone else's, and small cuts and bruises on his skin. He looked ill, even in his sleep, pale and worn, showing the cruel effects that the prison had on him.

"Edward?" Adewale walked up to the boat where Edward was sitting up, fast asleep, "Captain Kenway?" Adewale shook his shoulder. Edward awoke slowly, recognising his former Quartermaster's voice,

"Hello Ade," Edward stood and got off the boat, "so, how's life been treating you?"

"Better than yours it seems, the Assassins here have welcomed me with open arms and I am in the middle of training," they walked, Edward admired the breath-taking scenery, the beautiful flowers that grew, the green grass and the tall trees, the old Mayan buildings and small wooden and straw huts, it was so peaceful, so tranquil, he really could see why Mary admired the place so much, Adewale broke the silence yet again, "Edward, why do you wish to join us?"

"Mary… Before she passed, she asked me if I'd do my part. I reckon this is what she meant," he paused, "The Assassins meant so much to her, she wanted me to change my course, to be a better man, driven for a better purpose, and that is what I shall do" Edward bowed his head, "You forgive me, don't you Ade? I was- I am a greedy man, but I am willing to change, I will change, the Assassins will help me."

"I forgive you breddah. I can see you have changed, tell Ah Tabai what you have just told me, and I am quite sure he would allow you to join the creed, given you don't accidentally betray us again," Adewale added a jokey smile, then chuckled in his deep voice, and Edward joined in,"let us get you out of those rags and cleaned up, you look like you've been to Hell and back, my friend." He clapped Edward on the shoulder, not noticing Edward wincing with pain, he continued to lead him to a small wooden hut, "You can stay in my hut for now, and rest, I'll send for Ah Tabai to speak with you." Adewale gave him a brief hug and left to find Ah Tabai, Edward was a changed man for sure, he just hoped that his mentor would accept him into the order, Kenway would be a good asset to the Assassins, he had skill, courage and determination, all he needed was a bit of teaching, he had to learn to be cautious, not reckless, and he would be as skilled as any other. He reached the small area outside of the doctor's hut, not wanting to disturb Anne or the doctor, he walked past, he hoped to check on her and her babe later, but for now he needed Ah Tabai. He strode down along to the beach on the opposite side of the island and noticed Ah Tabai speaking with an unfamiliar man in red and gold coloured Assassin robes with his hood up,

"Adewale, this is Regan, Regan, this is Adewale, one of our Assassins in training," the pair shook hands, Adewale quickly noticed the amount of scars that scattered the man's tanned face, there were five at the least, long and short. "We will speak later Regan," with a polite nod to both Adewale and Ah Tabai, the mysterious man turned and walked aboard what looked to be a merchant's ship, "You wish to speak with me, Adewale?"

"Edward Kenway wishes to speak to you on behalf of his acceptance into our Creed,", Adewale paused and took note of the wary look on his mentor's face, "He is a changed man, he would not betray us, and his skill could aid greatly to our cause," Ah Tabai's features relaxed and became thoughtful, then he nodded,

"I trust your judgement, Adewale. Where can I find him?"

"Edward is resting in my hut," Ah Tabai turned to walk away, "who was that man, Mentor? Excuse my curiosity, but I've not seen him around here before"

"He is a fellow assassin, I'm travelling with him to America tomorrow, I will be leaving in the early hours of the morning to attend to some...business, so I best get Kenway's initiation into the Brotherhood done soon," Adewale nodded, knowing it was best not to ask what business Ah Tabai would be tending to during his visit, "Adewale, would you bring Edward to the training grounds for me, before sunset,"

"Yes Mentor," Adewale smiled to him and turned to walk back to his hut to speak with Edward.

* * *

A/N: I hope you like it, there are more chapters to come! Please review, I would love to know what you think of it.


	2. Chapter 2

Edward sat down in a wooden chair in the corner of Adewale's hut. The hut was small, but spacious. A small bed was situated facing the door to the hut, with the wooden table and chairs, one of which Edward was sitting on, to the right of the bed. His thoughts were on the Jackdaw and its fate, he hoped that Adewale had taken care of it, not that it was of any use to him anymore, but the Jackdaw had been his pride and joy. As he stared out of the window next to him, his thoughts wandered back to the prison, the dingy, disgusting prison. A small bowl of water a day and a small portion of bread were given once every three days, meaning he had to ration out how much water and food he could have so that it would last him until he got the next serving; starvation and dehydration was a big killer in Jamaican prisons. He immediately felt his hatred boiling up, yet again, for Roberts and the Templars, they were the reason why he was sent to the prison, the reason why he had to suffer. That was a bonus of being with the Assassins, they were after the same people as he. He would help the Assassins find the Observatory and destroy the Templars, he would even die for their cause. It was at this moment that he realised just how much Mary meant to him. He shook his head, he needed a distraction from Mary, any distraction. Conveniently, a knock sounded and a distraction came in the form of Adewale,

"Edward, your initiation into the Brotherhood will be this afternoon. Congratulations breddah" Adewale beamed at him, Edward rose up from the chair he was sat in and gave Adewale a bear hug, then let go, tears of joy and relief filling his eyes.

"Thank you, Adewale mate, thank you so much," Adewale nodded, "so will we be training together?"

"I think so, I started my training many months ago, but from what I've seen you do and what I've heard, your skills are far more advanced than mine were at the start, so you will, by my reckoning, start your training at my level, and finish at the same time as I" Edward nodded, smiling, he wanted to make Mary proud, Anne and Adewale, and the friends that he had lost, all of them. Thatch, and the bastards, Vane, Rackham and the Templar git Hornigold. He missed every single one of them, he wanted to make everyone proud.

"I would suggest visiting Anne," Adewale continued, "but she will need her rest, we can only hope her and her child are in good health after the conditions she had to endure in the prison." Adewale stopped, mentioning the prison probably wasn't the best thing to do around Edward, especially so soon after,

"What is it like here, Adewale? To be an Assassin?"

"It is rewarding to know that doing this work is helping to stop the Templars, to foil conspiracies and to save lives of the innocent. Everyone here is accepting and kind, we are all brothers and sisters and we care for one another, something that is difficult to find, and we all work together for the same goal," Adewale smiled, "you will like it here, breddah, if it is a better life you strive for, this is the place to be."

"Aye, a better life," a gentle knock sounded from the door, Edward stood and opened it while Adewale watched. Edward opened the wooden door to find the beautiful Anne Bonny stood in front of him, she looked extremely tired, even ill, and disheartened,

"Edward." Anne said in her gentle Irish accent, she reached up and snaked her arms around his neck and he pulled her close, he held her. They remained as so for what seemed like a very long time, until she unhooked her arms and went to sit opposite Adewale, who offered her some water,

"Annie? Where's your babe?" Edward said in a soft tone, as he stood next to where Adewale was seated and faced her. Anne shook her head,

"Gone. He died, only minutes after he was born," she started sobbing, Edward crouched down next to her and held her hand in his own, not knowing her to comfort her. He looked towards Adewale, wanting him to say something, it was obvious neither of them knew what to do, so Adewale decided to say something to break the deafening silence;

"I am sorry for your loss, Anne. Did you name him?" she choked on her tears but managed to answer,

"I was thinking James, in honour of our Mary" it was obvious that her saying the name made her even more upset as she began to sob uncontrollably, even Edward was starting to tear up. Desperate for a change of topic, Adewale decided to reveal the news,

"Edward has decided to join the Assassins, Anne; would you like to come to the initiation?" Anne looked up from her hands to stare at Edward, whilst Edward looked back to her,

"Is this true, Edward?" Anne sniffled,

"Aye, it's true," she then got up and flung her arms around a surprised Edward, "don't you dare die on me, Kenway," she then unravelled her arms, grabbed the collar of his clothes, pulled him down to her eye level and then stared him right in the eye, "promise me"

"I promise"

"Good." She released him, though she still looked anxious about the revelation,

"I will look after him, Anne. It has been my job for the past 6 years, and it will be my job for the next 20" Adewale smiled at them both, both Edward and Anne laughed,

"Am not a child, Ade"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, breddah," Adewale replied, causing Anne to laugh and Edward to pull an amused face at both of them, "come, we should wait at the training grounds for Ah Tabai, in case he wants to start early."

They walked out of the hut and followed the path up to the training grounds, Edward holding Anne's hand the whole way, with Adewale leading them. Edward and Anne both marvelled at the gorgeous island. It was mid-afternoon, probably around 3pm and when they got there, Ah Tabai sat waiting with other Assassins around him, chattering. Edward was suddenly feeling the nerves, these people had hated him, would they really accept him into their brotherhood, where they treated each other as family?

"Edward, are you ready?" Ah Tabai stood and shook hands with Edward, while Adewale and Anne joined the crowd that had gathered around the Mentor and the pirate.

"Aye, I'm ready,"

"First, Edward, I would like to ask you what you think of our cause, our motivation, do you understand it?"

"To say that 'nothing is true', is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilisation", Edward turned to look to Adewale and Anne, they smiled approvingly at him, nodding, willing him to continue, he then turned back to Ah Tabai, "and to say that 'everything is permitted', is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic." Anne and Adewale watched their friend with pride, the crowd also seemed rather shocked that Edward had thought that deeply into it.

"You are a changed man, Edward Kenway." He held a thin, metal chain with the Assassin insignia on it, "Where other men blindly follow the truth, remember..." Ah Tabai waited for Edward to continue,

"Nothing is true",

"Where other men are limited by morality or law, remember…"

"Everything is permitted"

"Edward, we work in the dark to serve the light, we are Assassins" Ah Tabai placed the chain around Edward's neck as a sign that he was one of them, the Assassins that had gathered, including Adewale, spoke in unison,

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted."

"Edward, as you are now one of the Assassins, you may choose your robes, there are some pieces of armour as well, choose what you want, weapons will be issued to you before you begin your training." A pile of robes and armour lay on the concrete near their feet, there was a variety of colours and materials. After a long time of Edward trying to decide which would suit him best, he decided to choose the long-sleeved robes that resembled those of the late Duncan Walpole, though these robes were black with red and white detailing. He also chooses matching armour, brown leather spaulders with the red Assassin insignia sewn into it, silver chest plates and sturdy leather boots. "Your training starts tomorrow", he turned to Adewale, "will you show him what you have learnt so far, I trust you to show him around." Adewale nodded back.

"Thank you, Mentor" Edward bowed his head to Ah Tabai,

"Welcome to the Brotherhood."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to everyone that has read and reviewed, I wasn't too sure about this chapter so I hope it's alright. I'll hopefully be updating within the next few days. Thanks again!**


	3. Chapter 3

"To the Brotherhood" Edward raised his rum in a toast,

"To the Brotherhood!" Anne and Adewale repeated, they all sat around a fire pit on the beach, drinking in celebration of Edward's initiation into the Brotherhood. They continued chatting and drinking for hours into the night, Edward and Adewale were most definitely drunk.

"I'm debating whether ta join you two as an Assassin, I mean what else is there? I need something to live for, being a barmaid don't suit me no more. I've tasted danger and I like it. Do ya reckon I'd be a good Assassin?" Anne asked before taking the last swig of her rum, whilst Edward replied to her, chuckling,

"Aye Annie, flash 'em to distract 'em!" Adewale and Edward both giggled like young girls, spilling their rum everywhere, all over the sand and themselves. Anne attempted to keep a straight, stern face, which just resulted in her laughing even harder than the men. Adewale hiccuped,

"We had best get some sleep, Edward, we have to train tomorrow" Edward lifted the bottle to his lips, only to find there was no more rum in his bottle, nor was there any more bottles,

"There is no more rum left, mate,"

"Yes I know, Edward," Adewale slurred, "come on, you can both sleep in my hut" Edward dragged himself to his feet, his vision blurred as he watched Adewale help Anne to her feet, then them walking beside him. It had been a good day.

* * *

She opened her eyes to find darkness, complete darkness. She sat up slowly and pulled a thin blanket off of herself, feeling the comfortable bed that she was lying in and the shooting pains from her aching back, this wasn't death. She was alive, somehow, alive. She continued to look around the place she was sat in, and she noticed a very dim flickering candlelight on the other side of the room.

She knew she wasn't in the prison, this room was too comfortable for that. She also knew it wasn't the prison since they would have ensured that she was dead, since she was no longer pregnant.

_She was no longer pregnant._

The thought triggered a deep ache in her chest, her child was taken from her by those bastards. She never thought she would care for the child, at first, being pregnant was worth nothing to her, a burden in fact, it rendered her unable to keep up the facade of her alter ego James Kidd. But as she spent longer and longer in that prison, watching her stomach grow, she came to realise that the little human in her womb gave her something to fight for, a whole new responsibility. She was a mother.

She fought to remember the last few moments before she had 'died' or fainted, or whatever it was that had happened to her. The last face she saw was that of the man she had adored. A certain _Edward Kenway_.

Her train of thought was interrupted by footsteps walking past where she lay. A man with a lit candle walked in, of what she could now see was a door frame, unfortunately the light didn't show his face. In a weak voice, she called out;

"Who's there?" The man with the candle stopped to look in her direction, he quickly walked towards her,

"Mary, you're awake," the man spoke in a familiar voice, but she couldn't quite place who exactly it belonged to,

"Yes Ah am awake, where am Ah?"

"Tulum, where else would you be?" The man stood, she could hear his footsteps fading, then she heard the sound of a door opening, letting in some natural light, she could see his face now. It was Ato, the retired Assassin-doctor, he laid the candle holder down on a nearby table,

"Ah'm not dead then?" Mary questioned, just to clarify,

"You were very close to it, your pulse was very weak, it seemed you were dead, though you were just in a comatose state,"

"How long have Ah been here for?"

"You arrived on a boat with Ah Tabai, a mere few days ago,"

"Was anyone else on the boat?"

"Miss Bonny and someone else, I'm afraid I haven't been informed of who," Mary nodded to him, starting to feel quite weak, her head started to pound, Ato must have noticed because he picked up the candle and began to walk away whilst speaking, "sleep Mary, I will get you some water and food, you haven't eaten properly in a long while, I will check up on you later. If you need me, just shout" Mary managed to mutter her thanks to him before she lay back down, she heard the doors closing and she shut her eyes, a dreamless sleep enveloped her.

* * *

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay, I was planning to have uploaded this quicker but exams have been an absolute bugger. I apologise for the shortness of this chapter, but I needed to get this one out of the way and I haven't had much time to write. I'll be updating faster in the future, thank you for reading**


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